Dreaming has always been a prerogative of the young. But seeing the raising wave of dreamy NYC based bands, we start to wonder if dreaming becomes a necessity for those who choose to settle in that post-industrial wasteland that is "non affluent Brooklyn." Or maybe it's the other way around: would anobody who doesn't have a dream to nurture settle in a place like Bushwick? Whichever the answer, that gray urban ugliness is producing many colorful psychedelic flowers. One of them is Pop and Obachan, a duo that, in just over a year of existence, released two EPs that show a radical metamorphoses - one that veers towards dreaminess. Their debut EP 'Unfurl' was a modest, sparse and sleepy alt folk record featuring just voice, ukelele and acoustic guitar. Its melodies and chord progressions owe a lot to the roots of American music. But this year's 'Dream Soup' sees the band entirely transformed - and for the better. An enriched instrumentation - now featuring also drum machine, keyboards and electric guitar - supports, through inventive arrangements, some truly imaginative and personal dream-pop songwriting. The highlights are opener 'Holly' and 'Dry Land,' with their impressionistic sound, beautifully whimsical melodies, and perfectly balanced production. If this is what "non affluent Brooklyn" can do to a band in one year, there's definitely nothing wrong with it, no matter how expensive the rent is.

The San Francisco based classic soul revivalist band, Gene Washington & The Ironsides will be performing at Slim's in support of the rapidly emerging soul/big band The Suffers. If you like insanely large music ensembles, energetic soul music and nostalgic experiences, check this show out. The San Jose based band, Los Hot Boxers will be rounding out the bill with a unique fusion of doo-wap, Jazz and Latin musical influences.

This would be the perfect show to take your S/O out for a night of dinner and dancing. It can't always be about you, of course there's no reason why you wouldn't have a BLAST getting down to The Suffers and all the amazing music you're going to experience on August 4th at Slim's??

You can order tickets strictly for the show, or you can invest in advanced tickets that includes a three course meal and reserved seating on the balcony. Do your best to make it out to this show!

The San Francisco based burlesque -heavy rock band, Kat Robichaud and The Darling Misfits have released a brand new music video. Apple Pie and The Knife is an anthem that fights the unfair epidemic of "slut -shaming" (accusing a woman of being over-sexualized for dressing or acting in a certain way, and sometimes, for no reason at all).

"The Apple Pie and The Knife" is based on my experiences as an aggressive female rocker on The Voice. I behaved the same as some of my male counterparts, but because I'm a woman, it was the double-standard and I got called out, mostly by women, for being boisterous. I was too aggressive on stage. My shorts were too short. "Who did I think I was?" I made the video because I want little girls growing up to know that they don't have to fit into this subservient box and that can be themselves without questioning themselves, regardless of their sex." -Kat Robichaud

Robichaud made it into the top 10 on the popular televised singing competition, The Voice. She apparently didn't have an amazing experience on the show, but we still love you, Kat!

You can see Kat Robichaud and The Darling Misfits perform live at The Stork Club in Oakland TONIGHT with VOWWS, Survival Guide and Sister Grizzly. This is an amazing line up that will be performing at a grungy rock club in the Oakland. We can guess that the show is going to be raw, in your face and completely unpredictable. That's what rock and roll is all about!

Anyone who knows about Travis Hayes' contributions to the local music community would find his "Ode to the Bay Area" folk ballad, Towns Like These very consistent with his actions and passion for local live music. If you don't know anything about his work, Hayes has been a booker and live music curator for the local music venue, Neck of the Woods. He's also been great at connecting solo singer/songwriters with opportunities through booking and staying active in songwriter social media groups.

The video was filmed by Jared Swanson at our Great American Music Hall show last month on Saturday, June 27th. The audio was recorded by Seth Lael. The song "Towns Like These" is about traveling around the U.S.A. and constantly hearing people compare San Francisco to places like Austin, TX or Brooklyn, NY. I don't believe that to be true. There's no place like San Francisco. There's no place like home. - Travis Hayes

Amnesia's Tuesday night monthly residency will be hosted by the San Francisco based psych folk artist, Split Screens (aka Jesse Cafiero) for the month of August. Split Screens is a relatively new music project that we've watched grow over the last couple of years. It's very exciting to see this tenacious musician curate four weeks of music! Make sure you support Amnesia and its great support of artists through its consistant monthly, artist run Tuesday night residency. Check out the schedule and do your best to make it to as many Tuesday events as you can!